Broken but not Alone
by military-brat-01
Summary: They were in love then he was gone.
1. Chapter 1

Harry watched as she became closer to _that boy_ , it was a slow process over the years. Harry thought that it probably started in third year around the time of the yule ball, but that could have just been when he first noticed it. Harry had always thought that she would end up with his best friend, he couldn't complain though, not when he saw them together and theyjust seemed to fit. Like puzzle pieces. They really loved each other, and _he_ was good for her. The hard part came after the last battle was over at Hogwarts, when she was given the news that _he_ had died. That was the first time Harry saw Hermione lose herself. Harry found her in a corner with a bottle of fire whiskey, sobbing. He sat with her and let her yell, hit, and blame him. Then he held her and let her soak his shirt with her tears.

After everything was over she moved in with Ginny and him and Harry watched as she picked herself back up and stood tall. She received a job at the ministry and threw herself into her work so much that she lost almost got lost. She was broken but strong, but she didn't let anyone else get as close to her as _he_ had. Harry worried about her a lot, especially after she moved out after only three months with them, and got her own apartment. He didn't see her very often after that. Sure she came around for the birth of Harry's children and their birthdays, but that was it.

On the tenth anniversary of the battle, Harry heard that she wasn't going to Hogwarts for the memorial. When he visited her, he found her holed up in her room. The dining room table was covered in a weeks' worth of owl messages from work. She hadn't been there in almost a month. It was the anniversary of _his_ death too. Harry again held her as she cried, he hadn't had to do this in years. Harry, and everyone else, had thought she was getting better, now he wasn't so sure. Harry didn't know what to do anymore.


	2. Chapter 2

"Hermione please tell me what I can do. Watching you in all this pain hurts me." Harry held her close to him as she cried. After a while her sobs subsided and it was only once she sat back that he realized he had been crying too.

"Oh, Harry. I'm sorry, I don't know why I keep dragging you into my problems. You deserve to be able to move on from this tragedy and live a happy life with Ginny."

"So do you Mione. I really hate seeing you stuck in this hole of depression. I don't mind being here for you though after all what are friends for." After a beat of silence he looked down at the top of her head where it was curled against his chest. "Come with me to the memorial?" Hermione sighed and stood up. She walked over to the sofa in her living room.

"Harry, I really don't feel like being around all those people right now."

"Please Hermione, Ginny is staying home with the kids and I have no one to go with. You know they'll make me give a speech." He walked over to join her on the sofa. She dropped her head back and gave a low groan.

"Fine, I'll go with you. But don't expect me to stay long." Harry didn't expect me to stay long." Harry didn't and was just glad he was getting her out of the house.

The next day they arrived at Hogwarts via a port key, and took the long walk up to the building leaving their luggage. Despite Hermione's protests, the house elves would take their luggage to their guest rooms. When they reached the large, heavy doors to the entrance hall they found Headmistress McGonagall waiting for them.

"Well, if it isn't Mr. Potter and Mrs. Granger, what a surprise." She said looking down at them from the top step.

"Please Headmistress we are no longer your students, do you think you could just use our first names." Hermione asked walking up to embrace the older lady.

"I don't care if you are or not you two and Mr. Weasley were ever he may be, will always be troublemakers." She said returning the embrace and stepping back to lead them to the Great Hall. The two friends sighed and followed her.

The Great Hall was abuzz with activity. Next to the four house tables sat a fifth table for the visiting guests, as they all would not fit at the head table. Harry noticed that Neville was still sitting at the head table though his wife, Luna was sat in between her children at the Raven claw table. It appeared that their whole class had returned for the memorial, even Draco was there. Harry and Hermione took a seat next the Lavender and across from Cormac. It didn't appear that any of the Weasleys had shown up yet.

They got most of the way through dinner when it happened. One minute Harry it talking to Hermione about the work he was doing and the next she's running out of the doors. Harry looked around trying to find out what caused the reaction when he noticed, two red head men walking toward him with just as confused faces on.

"Blimey what's wrong with her?" Ron said with as much tact as he usually held. The two men took a seat and Ron began piling food on his plate. Typical Ron behavior, thinking with his stomach first.

"It's my fault, isn't?" George said. "I look too much like _him_. That's the problem." George looked down at his still empty plat and sighed. Harry wasn't sure what he could say to make the situation better.

"I don't think it's entirely your fault. At least you shouldn't blame yourself. I'm lucky she decided to come for this week, she's been holed up in her apartment for the past month with no contact to the outside world."

George just sighed again, then he looked up at Harry. "You know I haven't looked in a mirror for ten years. You'd think that I would have been able to move on, but I just can't. Every time I get a glimpse of myself I think it's him. People keep seeing me from a distance and calling out his name. I don't blame her for not being able to move on, they were in love." Harry stood up and went in search of Hermione.

Harry found her an hour later in the Astronomy tour. As was becoming habit we walked over and rapped her up in his arms. After a while she calmed down and her sobs changed to hiccups that wracked her whole body. Harry rubbed her back and made soothing noises, he knew she'd talk when she was ready.

"I'm sorry, Harry. I thought I could do this for you, but I can't."

"Is this because of George? He thinks it is and is sorry, you know he's hurting too."

"Yes. I don't mean to make him feel bad. I thought I was fine until he walked in and for a brief moment I thought it was _him_ and that any minute he would come over and all would be fine. Then reality came crashing in and I…I lost it. I'm sorry."

"Hermione you don't have to keep apologizing to me."

"You know what hurts the most? Every now and then I'll wake up in the morning and think that he's just in the next room. Then it'll hit that he's dead and never coming back. He'll never be there again. We'll never get married or have kids. We talked about."

"Talked about what?"

"Getting married and having kids. We both wanted at least two kids maybe more. Now I'll never have that."

"Don't talk like that Mione, you never know what could happen around the corner. You could meet another guy and fall in love again, and get married and have children. There is always hope." Hermione agreed for the moment not feeling like arguing at the moment. She was too worn out from the journey and crying. They both got up and headed for the door. When they reached ground level they were greeted with Ron sitting on the bottom step.

"Hey Hermione, Harry. How's life been?" He said as he stood up and faced them. He had his hands in his pockets and looked scared to be talking to them. Harry knew that Ron still harbored feelings for their smart friend, but was scared to talk to her about them as she was still hung up on his brother.

"Hey Ron. I'm doing great, Ginny said that you should come around to dinner one night next month." Harry replied as Hermione tried to collect herself behind him.

"Yeah that sounds like a nice idea, I'll check my schedule and see what I can do."

"Great! I'll let her know?"

"Hey Ron." Hermione finally joined the conversation.

"Hey you, are you alright?"

"I'm fine, a little tired but fine."

The three friends began to talk about anything and everything, just like old times. After a while it was if ten days had passed instead of ten years. They walked off to the large common room that was attached to their guest rooms. They talked and interacted like normal. Harry was happy to see Hermione smiling and laughing at jokes and topics that the conversation evolved around.

Draco walked into the room not long after, followed surprisingly by George. Hermione got really quite for a minute and the smile dropped from her face. Then without warning she stood up and threw herself onto George and wrapped him in a hug. George looked shocked for a minute then he returned the hug.

"I have been foolishly wrapped up in my own head. Oh, George, you lost a brother that night, you too lost your other half. I'm so sorry." George pulled away from her to look her in the eye.

"Hermione, you have nothing to apologize for. You have been grieving in the only way you know how. I am positive that he would not want us to morn him forever. We both need to work on moving on."

"Maybe we should work on that together." She said as they took seat on the sofa in the room. Draco seemed to want to stay so also took a seat but on an armchair near the fire. George looked down at Hermione with a pained look in his eyes.

"Hermione, you were my brother's love. I cannot take what was his. I'm sorry." Hermione looked shocked and then reached out and took his hand in hers.

"I was not talking about a romantic relationship, more like a brother/sister. Just where we met up every now and then and check in on how each other is doing." George sighed and joined her on the couch.

"In that case yes, I would like to meet up every so often."

They spent the rest of the night, and well into the next day, talking. They rest of the week went by. It was riff but they friends supported each other through it all. By the end of the week Draco had joined their group of friends and was a great support to the two with broken hearts.

For the next couple of years they all grew closer together, there were some bad moments but together they were able to get over them.


End file.
